What similar instances of divine intervention are found elsewhere in Scripture? A quick look at Isaiah 37:7 “Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.” God sends a spirit, plants a rumor, turns an invader around, and arranges his downfall back home. Scripture repeats this pattern of decisive, behind-the-scenes intervention many times. Rumors, sounds, and panic that send armies running • 2 Kings 7:6-7 – “For the LORD had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army… So they got up and fled at dusk, abandoning the camp.” • Judges 7:22 – “When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD set the sword of each man against his companion throughout the camp, and the army fled…” • 1 Samuel 14:15 – “Then panic struck the whole Philistine camp… and a panic sent by God spread.” • 2 Chronicles 20:22-24 – As Judah worships, “the LORD set an ambush” so that three allied armies “helped to destroy one another.” • Exodus 14:24-25 – At the Red Sea the LORD “threw the Egyptian forces into confusion… ‘Let us flee,’ the Egyptians said, ‘for the LORD is fighting for them.’” Moments when God deliberately sends a spirit • Judges 9:23 – “Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, and they acted treacherously against Abimelech.” • 1 Samuel 16:14-15 – “An evil spirit from the LORD terrorized Saul.” • 1 Kings 22:21-23 – A lying spirit enters Ahab’s prophets so he marches to his death. • Parallel passage, 2 Kings 19:7 – identical to Isaiah 37:7, underscoring God’s consistent method. Angelic strikes that finish the job • 2 Kings 19:35 – “That night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians.” • Acts 12:23 – “Immediately… an angel of the Lord struck [Herod] down, and he was eaten by worms and died.” • 2 Samuel 24:15-16 – A destroying angel brings plague until God relents. Key threads that tie these events together • God often delivers through unseen means first—rumor, dream, sound, panic—before a sword is ever raised. • He can use any “spirit,” even a lying or evil one, to accomplish righteous ends while remaining perfectly holy. • Human pride and overconfidence invite sudden reversal; humbled faith invites astonishing rescue. • The same Lord who overturned Pharaoh, Midian, Philistia, Moab, and Assyria still governs nations and hears His people today. |
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